Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: A robust and actually moveable projector
Anker Nebula Mars 3: two-minute consider
Do you have to’ve been looking out for a projector you might wow your mates with, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 could be the one. No matter attempting like a monster-sized flashlight, the Nebula Mars 3 is a conveyable projector designed for use every on the go and at residence. To that end, it has a built-in battery that lets it perform at full brightness for upwards of two hours, plus the Android TV good TV platform for streaming and fairly beefy audio system, though they regrettably play in mono. It’s properly constructed, and works efficiently, letting you set it down and get up and dealing shortly.
The place the Anker Nebula Mars 3 really impresses is its brightness, which knocks it out of the park compared with most completely different battery powered examples of the easiest moveable projectors. It’s not enough to drawback daylight, however it’ll sizzle at evening time. At merely over $1,000, it has opponents, and you might as effectively uncover 4K fashions spherical that value, though few have the portability on present proper right here. You may too get increased shade from triple-laser decisions similar to the LG CineBeam Q or JMGO N1S Skilled, albeit at a lower brightness for the LG and no on-the-go use for the JMGO.
Do you have to’re planning on doing most of your viewing at residence, it’s almost certainly value getting a projector that skips the battery and locations further effort into picture top quality. Nevertheless if you would like a powerful all-in-one theater you might tote anyplace, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is a commendable risk.
Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: value and launch date
- Launch date: July 2023
- Value: $1,099 (spherical £850 / AU$1,645)
The Anker Nebula Mars 3 launched in 2023 and is now out there inside the US for $1,099. It could generally be found for a lot much less, however, and was $50 off on the time of writing.
Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: Specs
| Show display sizes supported: | 30-200 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 1,000 lumens |
| HDR help: | THAT |
| Optical experience: | LED DLP |
| Wise TV: | Android TV |
| Connections: | HDMI, USB-A, USB-C, 3.5mm audio out, DC vitality in |
| Dimensions: | 10.2 x 1.97 x 6.3 inches (H x W x D) |
| Weight: | 9.9 kilos |
Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: design and choices
- Constructed for portability and sturdiness
- Helpful on-device controls
- Constructed-in audio system and Android TV working system
The Anker Nebula Mars 3 follows Anker’s Nebula assortment design language, bearing considerable resemblance to the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE projector. That talked about, there are considerable variations that make the Nebula Mars 3 stand out.
This model is constructed for further of a rough-and-tumble, on-the-go lifestyle. It features a hardened case that will withstand half-meter drops and has IPX3 water resistance. The doorway has a sliding lens cowl and the rear encompasses a rubber cowl over the ports. A big, exhausting take care of stretches all through the best of the projector, extending from the doorway to the once more. Whereas it encompasses a distant administration, the take care of moreover has built-in controls for amount and navigation of the projector’s onboard working system. Neither of these administration decisions is kind of good though, as a result of the distant is fairly restricted in what you might entry with a single press and the built-in buttons lack many of the typical controls for navigating the projector’s Android TV good TV interface.
A key part of the moveable nature of the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is its functionality to perform outdoors. To that end, the projector integrates a beefy battery geared as a lot as run for anyplace from 2 hours at full blast to 5 hours in a dimmer Eco mode. That may help you protect monitor of vitality, the take care of has a hoop of lights that present battery stage. The projector can also double as a Bluetooth speaker or a flashlight. A 3-speaker built-in audio system resides near the doorway. It could pump out a substantial amount of sound, though solely in mono and the dynamics are fairly weak. Within the meantime, an LED mild bar sits alongside the rear, stretching out above an enormous exhaust vent and beneath the port cowl.
As a result of the Anker Nebula Mars 3 isn’t designed to have a eternal residence, it has a small, adjustable stand beneath to help angle it up at projection surfaces wherever it’s ultimately organize. It moreover features a quick and environment friendly system for robotically adjusting image focus, keystone, and framing.
The projector’s Android TV 11 good TV system is a bit of bit dated, nevertheless nonetheless environment friendly as a streaming platform. Like many various projectors, though, it doesn’t get the Play Retailer mannequin of Netflix, instead relying on a sideloaded mannequin that gives a usually sub-par experience. Do you have to’re off the grid and don’t have net, the projector has a USB-A port and helps native media playback.
To enhance the audio experience, you might wire it as a lot as exterior powered audio system using the AUX port or wirelessly pair it to a Bluetooth speaker.
- Design and choices score: 4/5
Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: picture top quality
- Good, nevertheless not distinctive picture
- First fee shade and component
- Enough battery vitality for a 2-hour-plus movie
The Anker Nebula Mars 3 choices an LED DLP projection system rated for 1,000 lumens and 1080p resolution. That’s about what should be anticipated from a projector sitting at spherical $1,000.
Anker’s battery powered moveable has a good-looking picture, nevertheless not an distinctive one. It isn’t the form of projector you’ll want within the occasion you’re viewing in a shiny room, since its 1,000 lumens merely aren’t enough to take care of lots ambient mild. Chances are you’ll get by within the occasion you’re watching shiny cartoons, nevertheless you really should be viewing with it in a darkish home, and that extends to the surface as properly. Controlling ambient lighting outdoors is way more troublesome than indoors, and within the occasion you’re anticipating an ideal viewing experience with numerous metropolis lighting present, you’ll be disenchanted. That talked about, within the occasion you’re in a further rural house with out lots mild air air pollution, the Anker Nebula Mars 3 must current ample brightness after sunset.
The color you’ll get from the Anker Nebula Mars 3 is respectable, nevertheless no match for triple-laser moveable projectors similar to the LG CineBeam Q. It doesn’t actually really feel utterly lacking or poorly managed, and a gift like Ru Paul’s Drag Race nonetheless had a great deal of seen spark as soon as I thought-about it. Colors have modest vibrance, nevertheless merely don’t get the equivalent stage of pop I’ve seen from HDR-capable projectors reaching in the direction of 100% safety of the UHDA-P3 shade home. The equivalent is true of its resolution. At a projected image measurement of spherical 65 inches, the projector’s 1080p image seems to be like pretty crisp, nevertheless go far above that and you may seeing further softness till you sit further once more. A much bigger image may even current an artifact of the projector’s DLP chip, which reveals up as noticeable dithering (an affect like writhing small dots) when displaying darkish colors over an enormous portion of the show display.
The projector has a motion smoothing setting buried barely inside the settings menu beneath the label MEMC that is set to on by default. Whereas it may presumably clear out certain motions, it creates every kind of distracting outcomes, notably in movement sequences like these in Gladiator. It’s value turning off, which results in further pure motion.
A lot of the image trade-offs are a outcomes of Anker needing to squeeze a battery in for the $1,099 value. And the battery makes it value it. At full brightness, the Nebula Mars 3 was able to run for the entire thing of a two-hour movie at 50% amount with a bit of bit over 20% value to spare, which let it go for virtually half-hour longer. Annoyingly, within the occasion you’re nearing the highest of your movie or current and the battery vitality begins to get low, your experience could be completely interrupted by numerous low-battery warnings in a window that occupies an enormous portion of the present.
- Picture top quality score: 3/5
Anker Nebula Mars 3 consider: value
- Good for moveable use
- Brighter than completely different compact portables
- Larger decisions for picture top quality, nevertheless not portability
The Anker Nebula Mars 3 is an attention-grabbing package deal deal. It’s not an unimaginable residence theater projector for the money, as there are far more attention-grabbing decisions obtainable within the equivalent ballpark. Nevertheless it absolutely’s an normal respectable projector and a powerful moveable one. The Nebula Mars 3 is quick to rearrange, and may run for hours at a time. It’s a knockout subsequent to 1 factor similar to the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen, which has a conveyable setup with an elective battery pack nevertheless isn’t virtually as shiny.
A dependable projector you might convey anyplace and easily get up and dealing is one factor specific, and the Anker Nebula Mars 3 nails the concept. It’s constructed to withstand surprises and has clever components (similar to the lens cowl and waterproofing) that permit you to merely seize it and go together with out worrying a few defending case.
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Design and choices | The Anker Nebula Mars 3 has a projection system, Android TV, audio system, a built-in battery, and a lightweight. That’s a lot to get in a single package deal deal. | 4/5 |
| Picture top quality & effectivity | An trustworthy projector, nevertheless faraway from a superb one. It doesn’t look killer at extra-large sizes, and the color saturation is modest. | 3/5 |
| Value | Strikes a selected value with its portability and is a extreme threat in opposition to completely different moveable decisions, with a large battery, loud audio system, robust design, and good brightness. | 4/5 |
Must I buy the Anker Nebula Mars 3?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Moreover ponder…
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Anker Nebula Mars 3 | Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen | LG CineBeam Q | Xgimi Horizon Extraordinarily |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value: | $1,099 | $799 | $1,299 | $1,699 |
| Show display sizes supported: | 30 to 200 inches | 30 to 100 inches | 50 to 120 inches | 40 to 200 inches |
| Brightness (specified): | 1,000 lumens | 230 ANSI lumens | 500 ANSI lumens | 2,300 ISO lumens |
| HDR help | THAT | THAT | HDR10, HLG | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Imaginative and prescient |
| Optical experience: | LED DLP | LED DLP | RGB laser DLP | LED+laser DLP |
| Wise TV: | Android TV | Tizen | webOS | Android TV |
| Connections: | 1x HDMI, 1x 3.5mm | Micro-HDMI, USB-C (vitality) | HDMI, USB type-C (present, vitality) | 2 x HDMI (1 with eARC) |
How I examined the Anker Nebula Mars 3
- Examined at residence in numerous, real-world viewing circumstances
- Launched the present with various media and codecs
- I’ve examined fairly just a few projectors and exhibits over the previous half-decade
I examined the Anker Nebula Mars 3 at residence, in real-world circumstances. This seen it confronted with ambient mild coming in from fairly just a few residence home windows, in-room lighting, along with ambient noise that every the projector and speaker applications wanted to beat. The projector was examined every in opposition to a unadorned, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite show display. It was supplied with streamed content material materials, every HDR and non-HDR.
My testing evaluates the projector’s effectivity with respect to its value and opponents from completely different fashions I and colleagues at TechRadar have examined.
I have been testing projectors since 2021 and exhibits for even longer.
First reviewed: November, 2024
